Short Stem Safer? Let's find out if a short stem makes a mountain bike safer.

After two Over-The-Bar (OTB) crashes in 9 months, I started to think about how to make my 2018 Specialized Chisel hardtail SAFER on the downhill. Love the climbing ability. But need more security on the down. A subscriber said, "Mike, you should try a shorter stem." Let's test that idea.

[@50mtb44]

Thought about shortening your mountain bike stem? Tell me about it. Why? Did it help? Hurt?

[@50mtb44]

mwinner101, cool. What size frames? Heard the Crave is a great bike. And the SB4.5 too.

[@50mtb44]

Cool. Did you change the stems? If yes, did it make a difference?

[@yamilvazquezpr]

I have a Chisel Comp 2019 with 70mm, i did change to 50mm and now i can enjoy ride MTB 👍🏼

[@50mtb44]

@@yamilvazquezpr Sweet. What size frame?

[@yamilvazquezpr]

50mtb medium

[@matthewbasquez4373]

I caught the mountain bike bug at 60 years old about 8 months ago, The more i learn the more i learn and loving it, I currently have longer stem 70mm changing it to a 50mm will see if it makes a difference,, great video thanks,,

[@50mtb44]

Cool. Let us know if it helps. Congrats on MTB after 60. Inspiring!

[@matthewbasquez4373]

Not only did i shorten the stem i ordered longer bars, I'm going from a 750mm to a 785mm 1/2 rise 31.8 It was what they had closes to a 800mm in what i wanted,, moved my seat back also...

[@50mtb44]

@@matthewbasquez4373 nice. Wider bars will increase reach (after reducing it with shorter stem). Moving seat back will increase effective top tube (after reduding it with shorter stem). Smart. Let us know how it rides.

[@matthewbasquez4373]

I feel like with my broad shoulders would need a wider bar, And maybe eliminate a little bar vibration... Hell it my theory... But what do I know... lol

[@50mtb44]

@@matthewbasquez4373 cool. Let us know how it feels on the trail.

[@matthewbasquez4373]

short stem and wider bars was the best thing for me, It automatically worked for me it brought me back far enough to where i'm not struggling to Manual to bunny hop...

[@50mtb44]

Sweet.

[@dadventuretv2538]

Hey dude. Nice vid. My advice, get a new bike. A trail bike. What you have is a XC race bike, and you are always going to feel pitched forward on a bike like that. While shortening the stem certainly helps, and it’s almost criminally negligent for a mountain bike company these days to be putting a 100 mm stem on a mountain bike, even a cross country race machine, the head tube angle has more to do with the way you are feeling than anything. My first mountain bike was in 1990 with huge stems, narrow bars, skinny tires (in comparison to today) and really steep head tube angles. That design of a bike is just not good. I took about a 15 year layoff from riding while I played rugby, and got back into mountain biking in 2016. I bought a Trek XCaliber 9, very similar to your bike. Mainly because I didn’t know any better and was still living in the 90s! LOL. But I quickly realized the issues with that type of a design for aggressive trail riding and drops and jumps. Like you, I fitted a short 35 mm stem, went up to wider 760 mm bars, put Maxis minion tires on it, upgraded the brakes to Shimano XT, and for a while that was usable. However, the head tube angle was still the limiting factor. Unless I wanted to get one of those head tube angle adjusting headsets which still would only have decreased the head tube angle by about a degree or a degree and a half, I had gone as far as I could with modifications of that bike. And I was really reaching the limits on that bike. Really steep shoots, especially if they had gnar or drops in them, were nearly impossible, jumps were scary and drops over about 2 to 3 feet were frightening. I had just pushed that bike to the limits. I then got a Santa Cruz Bronson after demoing a lot of bikes over a year. And what a change. There is absolutely no comparison between the two bikes.The Bronson actually likes to get in the air, is so stable at high-speed over rough gnar, loves to drop, and still climbs very well. It has certainly saved my bacon a number of times when I have not been on my A game. We’re not so young anymore and biting it can cause a bad injury that can really take us out of the game for a while, as you unfortunately found out. That just sucks. I prefer to have a bike under me that will take care of me a bit. Regarding your bike and the short stem, the whole concept is to have the bars behind the front wheel axle. The other thing that will help you with your bike is if you raise the bars a bit. You can do that by having your stem not only be shorter but rise a bit, putting some spacers under your stem, and also by putting higher riser bars on it. The website for specialized shows That the bars on your bike have a 10 mm rise. If you went up to a 30 mm rise that would also help bring your weight back further. Because you can’t lengthen the front center you would probably then want to slide your saddle back ever so slightly. The last modification is to put wider bars on as well. When you go with a shorter stem you’re going to make the steering feel more twitchy. That is amplified with narrower bars. If you put a wider bar on it it will help counteract the twitchiness of the shorter stem and make the front end feel a bit more stable. Regarding your hand issues, try a bar with a sweep back rather than being very straight- it will put your wrists at a more natural angle. The downside to all of this is that, without being able to lengthen the front center and steepen the seat tube angle, you will have to consciously move your weight forward when climbing anything steep or you will get some front wheel rise. But I’ll take that any day compared to going OTB. But at the end of the day, my advice is still to get another bike. Look for one with a slack head tube angle, longish reach, steeper seat tube angle, short stem and wide bars (that should be a given). Doesn’t necessarily have to have huge travel if you go full suspension, as they are starting to make shorter travel bikes with slack head tubes now, like the new Santa Cruz Tallboy. That thing is still a rocket and likes to sprint but also is really good going down. Anyway, keep up the good work on the vids and ride on.

[@50mtb44]

DADventureTV, excellent excellent analysis and suggestions. Thank you. I agree with everything you've stated. Looking strongly at a Ripley (only concern, is it slack enough). Funny thing is, on the Chisel, I've extended the stem back out 20mm (to 80 - was too twitchy) and widened the bars to 780 with 30 mm rise and 9 degree sweep. Made a big improvement. Interestingly, all the things you suggested. Nice job.

[@shamsta21]

Hello there, I know I'm a bit Late but I just wanted to ask you about how much reach your bike has. Because I just recently got a (2nd hand) trek slash 8 2016 M(17.5) and Im not sure if it is too small for me. It has 427mm of reach and it came with a 60 mm stem which i swapped out for a 45mm one as the steering felt disconnected. It's got 750mm wide bars I am 5 ft 7/8 or 170 to 173 cm (around there) And idk if it's small or not. Like it feels small sometimes. My legs are definitely longer than my torso though. I've got an inseam of like 31inches or something. What do you think?

[@sepultubob]

"I fitted a short 35 mm stem, went up to wider 760 mm bars, put Maxis minion tires on it" That's exactly what I'm currently doing as I'm coming back to mountain biking on my 2010 cannondale trail bike ! But it's very limited, I'm pretty sure I'll have to switch to a new bike if I can ride consistently in the future

[@dadventuretv2538]

@@sepultubob ride that while you demo as many bikes as you can/can afford to. But then buy something more modern and switch. Todays bikes are so much better. Since about 2019 on the industry finally dialed in linkages and suspension and geo. Plus you’re going to have a tough time finding components for a 2010. And it might feel weird at first going to a 1x and dropper, but just dive in. Dropper is most important invention ever, and it pairs great with a 1x- dropper on left, shifter on right, nothing else. I experimented with a front derailleur- verdict was that with a dropper that extra shifter on the left was too much to think about when zipping down trail. Have fun man! 🤙

[@sepultubob]

@@dadventuretv2538 Thanks ! I'm gonna try to ride as much as possible this summer and try different bikes.

[@carlgoodfellow8324]

When switching to a shorter stem the weight distribution on the front fork is less so you need to adjust your sag accordingly. If at 20 percent sag it feels too bouncy rather than crank up the rebound damping I would lower the pressure and try 25% sag. If that causes front end dive when you're hard on the front break or in corners up the compression damping a little. Best of luck with the new riding postion I hope you can get it dialed and continue with the safe but still fun riding.

[@50mtb44]

Carl, thanks for advice. Rock on.

[@brenthleynard6834]

I think the purpose of longer stems is to help you climb hills much more easier

[@50mtb44]

True. Think the geo plays in. Older traditional steep head angle and shorter wheelbase ... need longer stems to keep weight forward on climbs ... but puts too far over front wheel on downhill.

[@g.fortin3228]

I also had to get softer/larger grips. I went with OURY and they are about 14 bucks but any larger,spongier grip might help your arms forearms and palms feel better. I think out of the box the bike companies put average grips because some people have small hands. So change em' up for man hands size.

[@50mtb44]

G, good idea.

[@kapbike7244]

i used 17 degrees stem at a lenght of 70 mm in a short handle bar with a 180 mm travel 26 fork suspension hardtail .waw !!! its work for me.downhill stairs or jumping.its how it works comportably in every rider.

[@50mtb44]

cool.

[@allocke9446]

I went from 90 MM down to 35 MM. I have a GT Aggressor Pro (upgraded pedals and tires). Uphills are indeed a little more difficult, but I noticed a compelling difference going downhill. It's a bit anti-intuitive because you see more of the wheel going downhill, but your weight is set back so.... The bike is more responsive in steering and I do not have any feeling that I am about to do an OTB. I've done some "safe" tests on it. Oh, I do feel more of the fork as well. I did an OTB on a $100 Walmart bike earlier this year. I just flipped and went face first into the ground. All the force was on my neck. I was very, very lucky. P.S. Gorgeous where your are!!!

[@50mtb44]

Al, good to hear you are experimenting and dialing the bike in for you. Glad you survived the OTB - one of the scariest ways to crash. Happy neck is okay. I rode a cheap $50 Walmart bike to start mountain biking way back in the day. Think it lasted 90 days before it was toast. But I learned I loved mountain biking. Best purchase ever. Keep rocking!

[@briw4647]

My 2018 came with a 70mm stem. I've reduced it further to 60mm with a 20-degree height rise. It's perfect for cross country and gravel for me now. If I wanted to go downhills, I'd reduce it further and remove the rise

[@50mtb44]

Cool. Glad to hear you adapted the bike to fit you.

[@logicVSpassion]

now you need a set of riser bars with a little sweep and go a little wider than current unless your width is already maxed out

[@50mtb44]

Good point.

[@LILEE376]

Shorter stem also mean that the terrain has more power over the steering, so you need to wrestle more on bumpy trails. Less stress on your hand by geometry but more stress when use the bike offroad.

[@50mtb44]

Makes sense.

[@keirfarnum6811]

Try the 80mm. XC bikes are designed to ride differently to trail bikes, and a longer stem is part of that.

[@50mtb44]

True.

[@barkingmadman1169]

Great video! Thanks for documenting 50+ MTB. I turned 53 this year and just discovered MTB three months ago. After years of leisure biking on a Shwinn hybrid and trying out the single track in my area I caught the bug and bought a Trek Marlin. Right away I felt the urge on descents to want to shift my weight back and immediately bought a dropper seat post. Since this is the first of your vids I've watched I'm not sure if you're using a dropper, but it's definitely something I would recommend. It made a world of difference for me. Now to the topic of your video, I also have considered shortening the stem on my Marlin, but not to prevent OTB but to make it easier to manual and bunny hop. But, yah, it should all be about the same physics, getting the center of mass back and low. So let me ask, with that 60mm stem do you find manual and hopping easier? Honestly I wonder if even 60 is short enough. My Marlin has 70mm and it seems like I could easily go with 50 or even shorter because I'm barely getting my front wheel up, and absolutely no fear of looping out. Getting the front tire up is vital for drops and that is a lot of the reason people go over the bars. I am not even attempting drops yet, not until I can reliably manual for a second. Oh! Sorry so many questions, but I heard that going OTB feet first is preferred. Is that even possible for us folks over 50!?!?!?! I did it once in my teen years, and literally walked away without a scratch. But I don't know if I'm still that nimble.

[@50mtb44]

Barking Madman, congrats on joining the MTB family. Sounds like you are jumping right in. I did add a dropper seatpost to my bike. Best invention ever. Rode without one for 20 years. Now (after 6 months) hard to imagine riding without it. Still experimenting with the stem. Went from 100mm to 60mm. Harder to climb with it shorter. Also not as stable on the downhill. At this point, went back up to 80 mm and got a wider handlebar (from 720 to 780 mm). More stable. But not as easy to lif front end as when stem was 100 (more leverage). So you should experiment. Stems are cheap (alloy ones - about 25 bucks). I OTB when I first started mountain biking 20 years ago. No injury. Then just happened last year 90 days after I went from 26 to 29 inch wheels (on a new bike). Just a fluke when a fork collapsed on a jump landing. I do wear clipless pedal shoes (i.e. clipped in). Interestingly, on the same ride 20 years ago that I OTB, I was riding with a friend who also started to go over the bars (we were on a trail that was too advanced). He was on flats, pulled his feet off the pedals as the bike went down, he "ran" over the top of it and stayed on his feet. So maybe you are right. Keep rocking the MTB. It is a blast.

[@dadventuretv2538]

barking madman i put a 35 mm stem on a Trek XCaliber 9 and it helped tremendously with being able to get the front wheel up and bunny hop. You gotta go up to at least 760 mm wide bars though to stabilize the front end or it will be twitchy as hell. Sounds like you’re going to be looking for a new, more capable bike soon. I left my XCal behind and got a Bronson as I had maxed out what that bike could do, even with mods. I’m 47 with a long injury history and want a bike that will make what I’m doing safer. Marlin is great entry bike to the sport but plan to upgrade when the time comes.

[@barkingmadman1169]

@@50mtb44 My first MTB injury: I rode relentlessly for three months, wore myself to exhaustion caught a germ that took me down for 2.5 weeks. My first day back I went down on a sandy berm not paying attention. Haha. Scrape and bruise. But I don't count the blood as an injury because I can still ride. What I'm calling "injury" is the cold!!! Ha! That's what kept me from riding for 2.5 weeks!

[@barkingmadman1169]

@@dadventuretv2538 Thanks for the advice! I've got my short stem now, but I'm not planning to install it until the weather keeps me off the trails (Houston riding season is LONG!, makes up for the lack of elevation around here). I never thought about bar width. Hmm. Marlin measures 740mm (unless the measurement is more complicated than just spanning grip to grip with a meter stick). The twitchiness you described might be related to the size of your bike as I researched Xcal can have 60-90mm stem depending on size but 720mm bars regardless. (At least 2020 specs say so.) So if you're a big guy and went from 90mm to 35mm that could make a big difference on 720mm bars. Whereas I'm going from 70mm to 45mm and 740mm bars. That set up might work for me (I'm a medium bike guy). Well, no need to over analyze this thing; once I install I see how it rides and go from there.

[@dadventuretv2538]

barking madman yup, you have wider bars, mine was a 2014 and may have been even narrower. Def just put ‘em on and ride, but if it is twitchy you know the fix. Have fun, it’s such a great sport.

[@g.fortin3228]

Your arms are as long as they are...so shorter stem with arms extended = getting your body weight/butt further back and positively helps not to OTB and just better control on steeper or techy downhills for sure ! Good move changing it !

[@50mtb44]

G, thanks. Ended up splitting the difference and going to 80 mm stem with wider 780 handlebars. Much better.

[@g.fortin3228]

@@50mtb44 Very good If that works well for you. I went with a 60mm stem and 750 bars because some of the trails here where I am (northeast) have some tight sections and my bars come too close to the trees if I go wider and the wider the bars the less I can get further back. But if it works for ya' it's good. Enjoy !!

[@jimmyz5831]

Your hand pressure is related to how much you engage your core. You should try to balance more so you can keep excess weight off the bars. Not quite as easy as a motorcycle but can be helpful.

[@50mtb44]

Good point. I have a strong core (but a weak lower back from a car accident). Can do sit ups all day long without stopping. : )

[@davidcawthorne7115]

Be interesting if you checked you RAD Rider Area Distance to see if it is nearer to what it should be with the shorter stem.

[@50mtb44]

Interesting point.

[@billfleming8344]

More clips please. Great.

[@50mtb44]

Thanks Bill. Soon. Just got a foot of snow last night. : )

[@thawingclock3]

I just ordered new stem and bars. I'm going from 80mm stem to 40mm. And from 720mm bars with 5mm rise to 760mm with 20mm rise

[@50mtb44]

Cool. Let us know how it turns out.

[@rdavid3848]

Along with the shorter stem you can get higher rise handle bar 760 mm. This will sit you center of gravity better. When you did your otb were u sitting on the seat?

[@50mtb44]

I never ride down sitting. Always standing.

[@motoinsanity2619]

If you have big or long hands I can’t explain how much bigger grips make a difference in feel and comfort

[@50mtb44]

Thanks for feedback.

[@madronaldsalvador]

nice!:> i have a plan to upgrade the stem of my mtb to a shorter one to make me more upright while i bike, and alleviate some weighti put on my arms because of the long stem.

[@50mtb44]

Let us know if it works for you.

[@alfiekennedy1657]

Exact same reason I'm getting a short stem aswell lol

[@sluzbazaorganizacijucentra4050]

I think that you need some spacers mate.When i bought my xc 29mtb, the factory setup was exactly like yours from this video ,the stem was 90mm but it was to low and seat was high so my hands were in pain and spine also , the feeling was like im driving 1998.mtb and i couldnt make any proper fitting so i installed 2more spacers,diched original 90mm stem and bought new 90mm stem with rise angle of 40 dgrs .After that all the pain was gone instantly i made a perfect fitting setup so now its so confortable for long rides , tough agressive racing look is gone but at least for me health has advantage over aestetic so now its perfect to ride it .

[@50mtb44]

Excellent advice.

[@johnmills837]

R.A.D. is the way to size bar/stem combo.

[@50mtb44]

Will check it out.

[@dgriffinm]

I like a short stem , & wider bar I have a 800 mm bar , going to cut it one of these days

[@50mtb44]

Yep. Got 800 mm bar on my newest bike. More stability and control.

[@jesseespinosa9739]

It depends on the head angle of any given frame more than anything.

[@50mtb44]

True. Harder to change head angle than stem. Anglesets don't work on all frames (and can have negative effects per other geo). But good call. Keep riding.

[@skrawn1342]

All about that OTB...

[@50mtb44]

Haunts you.

[@alexpennie]

Great video! Thanks

[@50mtb44]

Fun to make. Ride on.

[@pablobasstb]

hiya mate, so did you get back to the longer stem, or stayed on the short one? Cheers!

[@50mtb44]

Pablo, hi. Ended up in the middle. Started at 100 mm, went to 60, then back to 80. Decided that 60 shorter stem did add some stability. But felt strange in fast downs. Went to 80, felt like a good compromise.

[@pablobasstb]

@@50mtb44 Awesome, I am in the middle of the same process right now. let's see what I end up with! cheers for the videos and Rides!

[@cripmeister9104]

Nice. Looks like that 60 mm was like a +/- 6 (or 8) degrees. Did you try flipping it?

[@50mtb44]

Nope. Interesting idea. I think that would have made to low/aggressive for me ... and my back. : )

[@reclusepilgrim]

I like your videos but please do consider not adding that annoying music in between. No music would make the videos so much better. I recently got myself a Giant XTC (XC bike) with a 100 mm stem and a 630 mm wide, fairly flat handlebar. Now I feel a lot of pressure on my palms and even numbness after about 40-45 minutes of riding. I am currently stationed in Egypt and my options of trying out the perfect fit for me me are far and few between. I am not enjoying my daily rides because of the numbness in my hands and the pain in lower palms. The rides are not flat. There are indications of the hilly terrain. I climb about 100 m at the highest point and the same is the descent. Any advice in this respect would be highly appreciated. Thank you.

[@50mtb44]

Zill, hand pain is common on modern mountain bikes due to longer reaches, steeper seat tubes, longer effective top tubes, and shorter stacks. All this puts more weigh forward onto the hands. You need to start changing one item at a time (and test ride) until get relief. Try these ideas: 1. Raising the stem (move spacers from above to below stem). This can make a big difference. Go in 5 mm increments between rides. This made a big difference for me on my rides. (Raises stack. Reduces reach and effective top tube ETT). 2. Rotate handle bars backward and upward. Play with sweep (Raises stack. Reduces reach and ETT). 3. Move seat forward on rails. (Reduces ETT). Also make sure seat is level (not tilted down - throws weight forward). 4. Change grips. Fatter if bigger hands. Skinnier if smaller hands. Also try harder or softer rubber and with or without gloves. (Comfort). 5. Swap to shorter stem. (Reduces reach and ETT). Also can test angled up stems for shorter stack. 6. Narrow handlebars by cut or swap. (Reduces reach and ETT). 7. Get handle bars with more rise and/or sweep. (Reduces reach and ETT). These are places to start. Let us know what works for you. It'll help the next guy to know your solution. Good luck.

[@reclusepilgrim]

@@50mtb44 Thank you so much for the elaborate and prompt response. The Internet is a wonderful invention! I have done everything you suggested except for raising the stem by adding spacers. I actually took it to Giant dealership and they told me there are already four spacers in there (5 mm each) and more can't be added. I am going to try a shorter stem for sure, the problem is that I don't have many options available to me here in Egypt. The handlebar is already very narrow - 630 mm. I had a 720 mm handlebar on my Scott prior to this high-end bike. I am considering getting myself a riser handlebar with 60 mm of stem. And the investment will be a waste if it didn't help. Rest of the things have been altered exactly as you suggested. All of them - literally. Now I don't know when I can get my hands on a good handlebar and until then I will have to bear this torture every evening. I'll report back sometime in distant future. Thanks a million for your time and consideration. You truly are a gentleman!

[@50mtb44]

@@reclusepilgrim happy to help. Riser bar may help. Good luck.

[@reclusepilgrim]

@@50mtb44 Thank you. What's your name?

[@50mtb44]

@@reclusepilgrim Mike. Good luck Zill.

[@darrinkulyk9560]

Narrow your Bars for somemore Comfort ... i just changed from a 80 to a 30 .... big Difference Alot more direct .... alot better DH

[@50mtb44]

Cool. Thanks for sharing your experience.

[@Steve-co8pn]

Great videos, when you changed your stem did you change the angle of your bars? Also are you keeping the 50mm on your bike and if so are you getting used to it?

[@50mtb44]

Steve, great questions. At first I reduced stem from 100 to 60 mm - and kept handle bars at same angle. Worked ok, but harder on climbs and felt way back over rear tire on downs. Don't think I picked up the stability on downhill that I was looking for. Maybe not enough weight on front tire for steering. So Just got an 80 mm stem and WIDER handlebars. Going from 720 to 780 mm on bars. Plus bars are 17 mm higher in total rise. Same rise angle and sweep angle. Only one short ride so far (not enough data). Probably tinker more. Also when switched original stem, played with rotating brake levers more forward/up (more horizontal). More experimenting. BTW, this is on a large Chisel. Noticed that Specialized made some changes between model years 2019 and 2020. Frame same, but stem went from 100 to 80 and bars from 720 to 750. Found a calculator online for ideal bar width based on your height. I scored 825. Not a lot of bars that wide. Also, article mentioned that shoulder injuries should reduce width slightly. So decided to try 780.

[@Steve-co8pn]

@@50mtb44 I recently purchased a 2019 large Chisel and I love the bike. But, when going downhill, I would like to position myself a bit further back and on the flat more upright. I recently ordered a 45mm x 10 degree stem, should be a different feel. Also, I'm in south Texas, not many long climbs for the most part, hopefully this will put me in a more comfortable position.

[@50mtb44]

Steve, cool. Keep us updated about your results. Ride on.

[@Bioeliful153]

@@Steve-co8pn I am also in south Texas and thinking on changing to a shorter stem...but I don't want to change bars, I feel ok with that size (720) and everybody suggest changing bars if I change to a shorter stem.

[@Steve-co8pn]

@@Bioeliful153 the stem made a big difference. I did change the bars only because they were free.

[@policies8534]

So is short stem short handle bar the same as long handle bar and short stem?

[@50mtb44]

Shushh, hi. Shorter stem reduces reach and effective top tube (ETT). Longer handle bars increase reach, but neutral on ETT. Reach is distance while standing in attack position (going downhill). ETT is distance while seated (climbing).

[@policies8534]

Ohhh thank you very much mate

[@50mtb44]

@@policies8534 sure.

[@jf8534]

Even 60mm is still long.

[@50mtb44]

True for a modern trail bike. This was a traditional XC bike - pushing trail. : )

[@nogoogle6349]

We like it

[@50mtb44]

Cool.

[@pabebengbiker888]

I have short stem but negative in degree position.. I had 1 major otb on our Mtb marathon xc race 2 years ago.. I use Negative slope short stem for the 5 kilometer uphill race .. but I got lost my confidence when on downhill.. what you think bike set up is better? Thanks

[@50mtb44]

Pabebeng, great question. I don't have a good answer. I'm not a racer. OTB stinks. For more confidence on downhill, need longer bike with slacker fork. If same frame, maybe extend fork 10 mm or add crown spacer 10 mm or shorten stem or new handle bars with more upsweep. Also might just try a neutral or possitive angle stem. Good luck. Keep us posted on your changes and results.

[@kargid8650]

go with 0 degree and wide handle bar

[@andrenikolai1061]

You may need to increase your handlebar length tho?

[@50mtb44]

Good point. Increased handle bar length does increase reach and stability. I did end up adding a wider (longer) handlebar. Much better.

[@bellavia5]

Instead of shortening the stem put on a pair of Dimension Arc bars.

[@50mtb44]

Interesting idea.

[@bellavia5]

@@50mtb44 The reason I mention the Arc Bar is because the straight (almost straight) standard issue MTB handlebar is hard on the wrists , elbows ,shoulders and upper back. There's a YT video of a PT guy explaining the whole thing. The original MTB';s all used to come through with an angled back bar (which the Dimension Arc is based on) which were more comfortable. My guess is that manufacturers went to a straight bar because it offers more control (which -if you're racing -is probably what you want). A shorter stem is okay if you want more stability -but -it will raise your center of gravity -which would not be good if you're racing. All these subtleties are dependent upon what you're going to be using the bike for.

[@50mtb44]

@@bellavia5 True. Good call.

[@bellavia5]

@@50mtb44 OK -howmever -I don't think bicycles should be ridden in the woods. I bought one of the first MTB 's available in New England back in 82 -I rode it into the woods and I thought - "This just ain't right". Riding on gravel road and such is OK though. Why do I think bikes don't belong in the woods? They disturb the tranquility .

[@50mtb44]

@@bellavia5 Funny. I love riding in the woods ... for the tranquility. I avoid all road riding. I'd rather tangle with a boulder or a tree ... than a car or truck.

[@british.bus.spotter]

Short stem looks better

[@50mtb44]

Short stem looks more modern.

[@LOOSEbowelz]

get a side car so you don't wreck yourself again 😂

[@50mtb44]

Funny. : )

[@titot9559]

Get fit !!!

[@50mtb44]

Always could be better. But I'd say I am fitter than 90% of the men my age. Not as strong as when I was 25 ... but just as good looking. : )

[@FuttBucker42069]

Hey guys - can someone identify his helmet for me please? I really like the look 😊🙏🏻

[@50mtb44]

Hi. It's the Bell Super 3 R. Here is a video of me opeing the box: kzbin.info/www/bejne/l4eaiWSieNqnjsk

[@FuttBucker42069]

50mtb fuck. That’s expensive 😭😩

[@huiyamrohit822]

Ur height?

[@50mtb44]

6'2"

[@huiyamrohit822]

@@50mtb44 sir can u suggest me My height is 5.7 and my handle bar is 720mm which size of stem would be best for me ?

[@huiyamrohit822]

Our road is not too climmby suggest me size of the stem according to my height 35mm/60mm/90mm/110 mm which stem would u recommend for me ?

[@50mtb44]

@@huiyamrohit822 sorry. I'm not an expert. Plus too many variables (reach, top tube length, bike). Best to experiment. Ride your current bike configuration and ask "Do my handle bars feel too far foward? Or Back?" Then adjust (with 10-20 mm change - new/used stem). Recommend cheaper stems to find right distance. Also, if have funds, can go to LBS and get a professional bike fit. Try the shop where you purchased the bike.